One Step at a Time, TOGETHER!

This weekend Fabio and I participated in a demonstration at a thermoelectric plant in Pecém, near where we live, as part of the Forum Comunitário de Aracati, joined with around 500 people representing groups from 20 counties in the state of Ceará to protest not only the existence of the plant and the criminal consumption and pullution of massive amounts of water daily, (13 times more, for example, than all of Aracati uses,) but plans to build another one even closer to our home. It was an historic event, bringing together leaders and youth from at last 4 indigenous groups, the Anacé, Pitaguary, Tapeba and Tremembé, fishermen and residents from this coastal region, farmers and citizens from the interior who are severely affected by the drought conditions here, students, environmentalists, scientists, artists and permacultores joined together to realize a beautiful and empowering action as part of Break Free 2016, an international movement towards freedom from fossil fuels. Our action here was one of 20 taking place on 6 different continents!

The thermo electric plant here in Pecém emits 6.5 million tons of CO2 per year polluting more than 70 million litres of water every day! Meanwhile, millions of people here don’t have access to clean water according to the quantity and quality parameters established by the World Health Organization. All of this comes, of course, with rising electricity bills for the citizens here, generating very few jobs, and lining the pockets of a small amount of rich capitalists. This is an example of how the coup that’s happening in the government here trickles down into the homes of citizens who are already struggling to survive in this political crisis. A day like Saturday, however, gives me hope that something truly beautiful and colorful can sprout out of the cow shit that we’re all being forced to sludge through.

As we gathered together and started organizing with everyone present to begin our march towards the plant, some guys with feather headresses and beaded necklaces, their faces painted warrior red, began singing and drumming, and our first torré began. I was thrilled because I had become enchanted with some videos of this dance on youtube months ago, watching mesmerized for fifteen minutes as the young leaders sang loud and clear, in melodies that quickly penetrate to the heart, repeating and continuing the call and response, as a large colorful group of tribal members and visitors went around and around them in a circle. I had seen this video months ago, hoping to have an opportunity to participate sometime and make contact with the custodians of this rite, and what a perfect atmosphere to come into contact with them!

Some artists had also made a giant replica of a pumpjack oil drill with the face of a monster, and we all laughed as the top part accidentally fell off. Many photos and video were being taken and simple rites, like some young Tremembé posing with their weapons aimed at the monster’s face, were being performed all around us. Some young people did a performance with a lovely image of Mother Earth in the center, and then we moved over to a clearing to make a massive CO2 with all of our bodies which was photographed by a drone from above. Then we were off, chanting things like, “Petroleum, gas and carbon are to remain in the ground!” and “This environmental crisis is the fault of the government and the capital!” which of course rhyme in Portuguese.

When we arrived at the gate to the plant, protected by a group of armed guards, everyone lit up and we formed a giant arc and began another torré. The sun was setting and it was like a beautiful, peaceful party, backed by intelligence, solidarity and love.

Friday morning we had had a surprise visit from a dear friend Maria and her seven year old daughter Zuzu. Maria and her Spanish husband Ramon accompanied the opening of the Eco Aldeia Flecha da Mata, our project here on a 7 acre piece of land a bit inland from Canoa Quebrada, and were instrumental in helping us get started planting and designing the space. They were living in a small community walking distance from the Eco Aldeia, a community of native families harshly impacted by much of the environmental encroachment and lack of respect by big business in the area. Four years ago Maria and Ramon moved to Spain with their two small children so that Ramon could have a surgery he needed, saying they would be back in two years, so it was an awesome surprise and we were happy to see them. Sunday Maria brought a group from her family to the Eco Aldeia for a visit and to share stories from their youth in the woods there. They’ve all spread out among the bigger towns in this area as they’ve grown and have kids of their own, but we enjoyed hearing stories about them fishing and hunting on the land we now call home, and how they remember many if the trees there and how big they’ve gotten. They also confirmed that the lake, which has been mostly dried up for several years now but which had plenty of water when we bought the land in 2011, never had dried up like this before.

As we were on the bus coming back to Aracati from the demonstration Saturday our friend Indio gave us all a pamphlet about the aquifer in this region which is endearingly named Jandaíra, pronounced jan-da-ee-ra. I read that in the beginning of the 21st century this region experienced a large infestation of big agrobusiness, producing fruit for the entire area. Needless to say that none of this is organic fruit, and in fact aside from what we and our friends produce in our own yards, it is difficult to find organic fruit around here. This industry has also depended largely on and contributed to the pollution of Jandaíra. Fortunately a law that was written in 2010 gaurantees citizens rights to this water and criminalizes exploitation such as this which endangers the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens. Unfortunately if nothing is done by those citizens to call attention to the situation, things can still get much worse, and it is clear that the political agenda does not have our health and wellness at the top of their lists of priorities. If we do not come together and take action, these “laws” are simply words on paper.

#breakfree2016 #350Brasil